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Norman Schrank III, 43, is charged with first-degree murder and abandoning or concealing a dead body in the death of his wife鈥檚 mother, 65-year-old Sachiko McClurg.

Schrank also faces domestic-violence-related charges of aggravated assault for allegedly attacking his estranged wife, Jeni McClurg, 41, who is blind and is fighting ovarian cancer and recently asked him for a divorce.

He also faces two counts of kidnapping, and a theft charge for allegedly stealing the vehicle used in the abduction.

Schrank believed his wife鈥檚 parents were responsible for persuading her to leave him, according to a transcript of a search warrant application filed May 3 in Pima County Superior Court. The in-laws had recently moved to Tucson from California to live with their daughter while she was undergoing medical treatment, the transcript said.

It said Schrank allegedly told a detective during questioning that he attacked his mother-in-law by 鈥渃hoking her and placing a plastic bag around her head.鈥�

The document suggests the woman鈥檚 body may have been stashed in one of a number of rented storage units the husband had access to. It wasn鈥檛 clear from the records whether her body has been found.

The Sheriff鈥檚 Department would not comment Wednesday beyond detailing the charges against Schrank.

Jeni McClurg was handcuffed, sprayed with pepper spray and 鈥渃hoked until she passed out,鈥� the search warrant application said.

Schrank was charged with murder in Gila County on May 3 but the Pima County Sheriff鈥檚 Department did not publicly disclose the charge until Wednesday.

Gila County deputies became involved after Schrank was tracked to a cabin in Pine where he allegedly was found hiding with his injured wife.

Both women were abducted around May 1 from the wife鈥檚 home in the 3900 block of South Amber Rock Avenue on Tucson鈥檚 southwest side, the same house she and her husband shared before they separated, court records show.

Schrank moved out after the split and was living in Oro Valley in the 2300 block of East Wide View Court, records show.

Sheriff鈥檚 Detective Hector Palomino, testifying in support of the search warrant request, told a judge that Schrank鈥檚 father-in-law called 911 to report his wife and daughter missing.

Detectives who entered the house found the women鈥檚 handbags still inside, and a kitchen that looked as if they鈥檇 been interrupted while making breakfast, the detective said. Authorities also found a patch of blood that looked like someone had tried to clean it up.

Detectives were able to track Jeni McClurg鈥檚 phone to a cell-tower site near Schrank鈥檚 home in Oro Valley before the phone was shut off, he said.

Neighbors who live near Jeni McClurg told detectives Schrank recently was seen outside the former marital home while she was in Phoenix with her parents getting medical care.

They also said Schrank was seen outside the house the morning of the kidnapping, Palomino said.

Schrank was 鈥渄escribed as being controlling with Jeni and had isolated her from her friends and family even though Jeni was financially supporting,鈥� him, the detective said.

Authorities were able to trace Schrank to the cabin in Gila County by calling the numbers he鈥檇 recently dialed on his cellphone, the transcript shows.

One of the numbers belonged to the rental agent for the cabin, it said.